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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
4.5 ⭐️ It loses half of a star for a mom who dies. Still waiting on the content warning…
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
I liked multidimensional characters, layers of plot. Learned TON about ASL and deaf people. I found the layout (with little non-fiction snippets) cool.
I'm quite religious for all the lgbtq and sex? I also have a doubt teens have it that much, really. What completely threw me off was yay vandalism explosives anarchist message?
The book felt like it was trying to educate me THE RIGHT WAY about implants, deaf culture etc. And it wasn't so subtle so I disliked this part
All in all, it was entertaining and well done. But preachy
I'm quite religious for all the lgbtq and sex? I also have a doubt teens have it that much, really. What completely threw me off was yay vandalism explosives anarchist message?
The book felt like it was trying to educate me THE RIGHT WAY about implants, deaf culture etc. And it wasn't so subtle so I disliked this part
All in all, it was entertaining and well done. But preachy
I learned a lot about the deaf community and enjoyed the story. The ending was a bit abrupt for me, but it's a good one to discuss.
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
✨ Review ✨
📖 True Biz
✍🏻 Sara Novic
☑️ Contemporary Fiction
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙯/𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 (𝙖𝙙𝙟./𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣; 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙎𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙇𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙜𝙚)
𝙈𝙀𝘼𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂: 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙠𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠”
My goodness, I learned SO much.
Overview:
•Deaf Boarding School
•Multiple POVs
•Communication Systems
•Disability and Civil Rights
•Romance Sub-Plots
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗥𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗳.
I can confidently say that I’ve never read a book like this.
I originally added it to my diversity tbr for this year, but I had no idea how much I would grow from reading this. I’m incredibly thankful for it.
This book immerses readers in Deaf culture and community, exploring the complexities and nuances within it, and the ways that language and communication barriers can define us.
The sign language edification was ingrained in every page of this story.
Charlie, one of the deaf high school students, entered the classroom with no previous experience using sign language, so it was eye opening to witness her learn and to understand how parents’ decisions so greatly impacts kids in these situations.
It was also mind blowing to learn that 90% of parents with deaf children don’t learn sign language - limiting communication within their family for their entire lives.
“𝙎𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣’𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙖𝙡. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣’𝙩 “𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙” 𝙗𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣—𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙬 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙪𝙣𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙜𝙚, 𝙨𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨.”
Deaf representation - as with any other diversity minority - is incredibly important because I’ve never considered what certain moments might *sound* like, and the perspective this gives me will make me more intentionally aware and inclusive going forward.
“𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙝-𝙖-𝙝-𝙖, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘼𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚.”
“𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙣𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧’𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙝 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚. 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙘 𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙞𝙗 𝙘𝙖𝙜𝙚, 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙘 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙠.”
My main complaints: I wish this leaned more into all of the students’ POVs rather than the teacher. While I understand wanting to have a broader scope of perspective, I feel like it would’ve been more effective to leave her story smaller than the others. Though I did love how we got multiple single chapter POVs from side characters.
Also, the story was left intentionally open-ended. Again, I understand the choice. But I just wanted a little more closure, or a glimpse into the students’ futures.
Overall, I’m very appreciative of any books or media that expose my own unconscious biases and privileges, and that’s especially true here.
“𝙊𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚—𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙟𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮.”
And I just include some of the concluding Author’s Note:
𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱-𝗼𝗳-𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗳𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗳 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲. 𝗜 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗳 𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲, 𝘁𝗼𝗼.
I definitely recommend this book to all readers, especially those who want to be a more compassionate and respectful person in all communities.
✨ Read via Libby ✨
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent